Mail-bag receiver for railway-coaches.



H. A. HARRISON.

MAIL BAG RECEIVER FOR RAILWAY COACHES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 26;, 1911.

1,242,437. Patented Oct. 9,1917.

p I I m 7 I\ i o Henry 71? ark/ls or;

entrain era-inns arana @EFIQE HENRY A. rrnnnrso'n, o r'N onHEIi/r, MOANA.

vention relates more particularly to an improved mail bag receivingapparatus N The invention has for its principal object to provide mailbag receiving apparatus adapted for use on railway mail coaches,whereby, the mail bags will be received thereby and then automaticallydropped or delivered into the coach to be emptied and assorted.

It is a more specific object of the invention to provide novel mail bagreceiving means arranged upon the top or roof of the coach, the samebeing normally held in position to receive mail bags from a deliveringapparatus, in orderthat the same'will be "operated by the weight of thebags as deposited thereon to allow the discharging thereof to theinterior of the mail coach.

7 Another object of the invention is to provide yieldable means fornormally hold ng the mailbag receiving means in operative position topermit the passage of mail bags from the delivering means thereinto.

Among other aims and objects of the 1nvention may be recited, theprovlsion of a device of the character mentioned, with a view tocompactness, and in which the number of parts are few, the constructionsimple, the cost of production small, and efficiency and operation high.

In order that the invention andthe'manner of its application may bereadlly understood by those skilled in the art, I have in theaccompanying illustrative drawings and in the following detaileddescrlptlon based thereon set forth the preferred embodiments of theinvention.

" In these drawings: e I

Figure 1 is a fragmentary" longitudmal section through a mail coach withmy mproved mail bag receiving means applied thereto, the bag receivingmeans being also shown in section and in position" to receive bags fromthe delivering apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a front elevatlon of the receiv ng apparatus, showing therelative positioning Specification of Letters Patent.

MAIL-BAG RECEIVER. F933, RAILVJAY-COACHES.

.of the same and the .mail bag delivering apparatusgand y Fig. 3 is afragmentary side elevation of a slightly modified form of bag receivingapparatus.

- Similar characters of reference are employed all of the abovedescribed views to indicate corresponding parts.

Iteferring now more specifically to the several figures ofthe saiddrawings, afragment ofarailway mail coach is shown and is designated bythe. numeral 1, the said coach being provided,fas will be understood,with a suitable roof 2 having an opening 3 formed therein, the purposeof which'will be subsequently apparent,

A mail bag receiving receptacle t'having an inclined top portion isarranged within the opening 3 as formed in the rooftop 2 and ispivotally secured thereto through the medium of a pin 5, it beingunderstood that the said pinis secured'by suitable fastening "devices 6-to' the adjacent portions of the lower convolutions of the spring 8, alug 11 similar to the depending'lug 7 may be and preferably isformed'upon said arm or bracket 9 and is adapted to be received withinsaid lower convolutions. As will be noted, the freeend of the mail bagreceiv- Patented Got. 9, 1917. Application filed February 26, 1817.Serial No. 150,988. v I I ing receptacle 4 is open andby reason of the rexpansible soiled springs, will be normally maintained in its uppermostposition whereby mail bags may be readily passed there- 'into. A pivotalhook 12 is secured to the under face of the inclined top ofthereceptacle 4 at a point in proximity of the open'end thereof andis'adapted to be engaged with a suitable eye or staple 13 as arrangeduponthe under face of the coach roof2 at a point-near the opening 3therein.

By engaging the hook 12 with the eye 13, it,

will be seen that the receptacle 4 will be held in its lowermostposition againstthe tension of the expansiblecoiled spring 8.

When released, however, the receptacle Will be immediately forced intoits uppermost or opposite position by the said exp'ans'ible spring 8. Toprevent excessive upward movement of the receptacle e, a laterally eX-or fingers 8 are arrangedare arranged. It is to be noted, that thesuspending hooks 16 areso arranged-las to permit the removal of the-mailbags when enaged by thereceiving apparatus therefrom.

The mail bag 17 when 111 poslt on upon the suspending hook 1.6 of thedelivering apparatus will be arranged directly inthe path of travel ofthe receiving" receptacle l as shown in the 2 and as a consequence, whenthe saic receptacle is moved into engagement therewith, the loops 18with which the suspending hooks'ltS of the delivering apparatus areengaged will be removed from the said suspendinghooks and the bagpermitted to drop into the receiving receptacle. The weight of the 17upon the bottom 01" the receptacle 4: 1s sulficient to cause theyielding of the expansible spring 8 and hence, the tilting of thereceptacle bottom 4 whereby to permit the said bag to be discharged intothe interior ofthe coach 1. Upon being relieved of the Weight of thebag, it is obviousthat the receptacle 4 willbe immediately returnedtoits normal position by means of the eX- pausible coiled spring 8' readyfor subse quent operation. 7

Should it be desired, suitable means may be engaged with the expansiblecoiledspring S whereby'to vary he tension of the same so that it willbecompressed only upon the depositing of predetermined weights upon thebottom of the receptacle l. By this means, the bag receivingreceptaclemay be caused to respond to varying weights, H

in Fig. 3 lhave shown a slightly modified form of mail bag receivingmeans wherein a plurality of'receiving receptacles at arranged, it beingnoted, however, that the said receiving receptacles are disposed inopposite directions, whereby mail bags may be collected: by the train inan er'ticient manner when the direction of travel of the same isreversed. in this particular embodiment, it will of course be understoodthat one of the bag receiving receptacles 4t is permitted to remain inits uppermost or operative position, the remaining receptacle beingsecured in inoperative position through the medium of the pivotal hookmember 12 which is engaged with its respective eye as arranged upon thecoach root 2. Upon the reversing of the direction of travel of thecoach, thepositioncourse, a. receptacle movably' secured to the a top;of" said' vehicle, means for nor any maintaining the receptacle in it'suppermost position but to allow movement of fthe same to its lowermostposition upondepositing of a bag thereon.

2. Bag receiving means of the character described, including, incombination with a vehicle movable over a predetermined course, areceptacle movably secured to the top of said' vehicle, resilient meansfor normally maintaining the receptacle in it's uppermost position butto allow movement of thesame upon depositingv of a bag therein fordischargingthe same into the vehicle.

3. Bag receiving. means of the character described,including, incombination with'a vehicle movable over a predetermined course, areceptacle pivotally secured to the top of said vehicle, spring meansengaged with the receptacle for normally maintain- 7 mg the SLIIlGlllits uppermost positions but to allow movement of the same toitslowermost position upon the depositing of a bag therein.

l. Bag receiving means otthe character described, including, incombination with a vehicle movable over a predetermined course andhavingan openingformed in the roof thereof, receptacle arranged Within saidopeningand'pivotally secured toa-portion of the vehicle roof,expansiblespring means carried upon a portion of the vehicle and engagedwith the receptacle for normally maintaining the same in its-uppermostposition but to' allow movement of the same to itslowermost positionupon the depositing ofa bag therein,- and means carried by the bottomportions of the receptacleengageable with-the-vehicie roof for preven"'ing' excessive upward movement thereof;

5; receiving meansof the" character described, including, in combinationWith a vehicle movable over a predetermined course and having an openingformed in the top thereof, a receptacle arranged in said opening andpivotally secured to a portion of the vehicle roof, spring means carriedby the vehicle and engaged with the receptacle for normally maintainingthe same in its uppermost position but to allow movement of the same toits lowermost position upon the depositing of a bag therein, meansformed integral with the lower portion of the receptacle and engageablewith the roof for preventing excessive upward movement of thereceptacle, and other means carried upon a top portion of saidreceptacle and engageable with the vehicle roof for securing the same inits lowermost position.

6. The combination with a railway car, the roof thereof being providedwith a longitudinally extending opening, of a receptacle pivotallysecured to the roof of the car adjacent said opening, one end of thereceptacle being open to receive articles when the same is exposed abovethe roof, and fingers-formed on the receptacle to limit the upwardmovement thereof.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature hereto.

HENRY A. HARRISON.

- Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the "Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.

